Chaperoning Paris (Collins Brothers)

by Victoria Pinder

  “Geegs,” Sean said as he approached, “I see you’ve made a friend.” He gave the woman a warm smile. “The kids are waiting for us just outside.”

  “Okay.” Gigi turned to the woman. Thank you for your advice.”

  Feeling suddenly lighter, Gigi followed Sean into the sunshine that whispered promises of love in paradise.

  She reached into her bag and found her shades. Sean didn’t move toward the students gathered nearby and instead stayed beside her. She felt her toes curling upward. Why did he still have such an effect on her after all these years?

  Gigi waved the students ahead and she and Sean followed behind.

  Sean leaned toward her. “We talked about days off, but I forgot. Tomorrow night is the evening cruise. Do you have any more plans?”

  “Cary promised me a surprise, but if you need another night off, I’ll stay.”

  Sean’s chin pushed up higher at the mention her friend. Was Sean jealous? “Can I tell you about Cary?”

  “What is there to know? You have a date.”

  “No, I don’t.” She rubbed her neck and found her necklace. Then she waited until she met his gaze. “Cary was my roommate. He’s gay and would be attracted to you, not me. But I can’t bring him to the hotel. He might show up as alter ego, Donna. We have some religious students on this trip, and it’s not right to bring our personal lives into anything. Chaperones are supposed to be boring, sexless beings, and teachers are trolls who never leave their classrooms.”

  “Funny.” Sean lowered his arm around her waist, and she could swear he sighed. She caught his gaze a few times, and his eyes grew bluer and stormy with emotions. He used to look at her like that.

  Gigi swallowed. “I don’t know what Cary has planned for me, but I do prefer keeping my personal life away from the students. I’m two different people. Not that I’m good or bad in either, but when teaching, students don’t need to know your personal truths.”

  “Shh, Scout. You’re sounding deep.” He traced her hand, but held her arm with his free hand. “Thank you for telling me about your friend. I had been planning on killing him, but he gets to live now.”

  Kill Cary? Why? Her body grew hot. Could Sean still have feelings for her? She swallowed, unwilling to go there now. Playing it light, she said, “Sean Collins, you don’t have a mean bone in your body, and we both know it.

  “Besides, you and me, we’re just old friends.”

  Sean made a strangled noise then went silent. Even with the sun, Gigi felt a sudden chill. They continued until they arrived at the fourth arrondissement that included Victor Hugo’s home, the contemporary art of Pompidou, and the remaining stairs of the burned-down Bastille.

  They students immediately found the small vendor stands with T-shirts and the students rushed there.

  While she stood with her arms crossed, Sean texted someone.

  After ten minutes of waiting for the students to finish up their purchases, Gigi guided them into Victor Hugo’s home. Everyone’s jaws dropped open as they took in the glass building with an airport-like tunnel guiding them upward.

  They spend about half an hour absorbing the sights then left. Sean disappeared for a minute as they exited the museum then appeared a minute later and he returned and waved at the group. Four of the boys understood to join him. Gigi turned around and saw a shaded spot in the courtyard, where she led everyone.

  A few minutes later, Sean and the four students returned with ice cream for everyone. The remaining teenagers gave cries of appreciation. Gigi smiled as Sean handed her a cup.

  Sean winked. “Chocolate and vanilla mixed, in a cup not a cone. You never could decide.”

  “And I still prefer milk chocolate, not dark or white.” She laughed and licked the spoon. “It’s nice that you remember.”

  “Good. I always remembered you, Scout.” He invited her to sit. The teenagers took their own tables a few spaces away. “We can wait here for the town cars to arrive.”

  “Two now?”

  “One limo. Two cars. The limo is being used by some heiress named Kate Sparrow.” Sean shrugged. “The two town cars will hold us.”

  “We can take the Metro again,” she suggested, preferring them for an honest view of city life abroad.

  “Shopping then practice,” Sean reminded her. “With a car, no one loses a bag.”

  She brushed Sean’s side and goosebumps formed on her forearms. She darted her gaze to the ground. For a minute, she lost her ability to think. She gulped, and shuffled on her feet. Then in a high-pitched voice, she asked, “Daniel is arriving while the students are practicing?”

  “Yes. You’ll be in the penthouse. I’ll be in my room.” Sean shrugged.

  Her face heated. “Sounds good. When we get back, the students and I will eat a practical dinner on budget.”

  “Sounds boring.” Sean’s eyes gleamed. “Or Daniel can come to dinner with us. He asked about you when I told him who I came with.”

  “Daniel.” Her chest squeezed. Had Sean told his family about what she’d done? She felt a tad bit faint. No. If Sean had told everyone, Daniel would never have asked about her.

  The day she took off, she remembered Sean’s mother had argued with her mother in their family kitchen. Gigi hadn’t heard the words other than her name. She had been the subject of an intense argument. She had told Sean less than twenty-hours earlier what had happened, and she knew the Collins were a tight-knit family. Drawing a deep breath, she brushed her hair back and asked, “Did your mother say anything to your siblings?”

  She met his gaze.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I wasn’t paying much attention but I don’t think so.”

  Gigi ran her hand through her hair. “Still, I can’t be sure. For all I know, your brother probably hates me. I’d rather you two go off on your own.”

  “Daniel doesn’t hate anyone, including you,” Sean reassured her. “Don’t worry about him. He’s a doctor, out to fix everyone. And Liam likes you, too. He said you outclass Jennifer.”

  Gigi rolled her eyes. “Liam is still good with the back-sided compliments.”

  Sean smiled. “Now if Gerard visited, he would leave no stone untouched and quiz you until you break to find out why you left. But not Daniel.”

  Maybe Sean was right. Daniel had been the quietest of the Collins brood. Older than Sean, Daniel bore the responsibility of oldest child, but he’d always been a caregiver. “So how are Gerard, Liam, and your dad?”

  “Gerard is never home. He’s always in Boston,” Sean answered. “Liam seeks out danger. And my dad hopes to retire, leaving the Collins Financial industry to me.”

  “You deserve it.” Sean was the second oldest, but had always been the one after his father’s approval. “You’ll do a good job.”

  “Mom’s happy.” Sean licked his ice cream, and Gigi felt her face grow warm as she remembered his lips on her body, burning her skin. She almost dropped her own ice cream. “Liam worries me, Scout. He’s chasing something or someone and isn’t confiding in any of us.” Sean kept his voice low. “I hope it’s the job but something tell me it’s more personal.”

  “You and yours will be there for him.” If she had been born a Collins, her life would have turned out different. The Collins’s stuck together, through thick and thin. “Does Patrick miss his mom?”

  Sean crunched a bite of his cone. “I wish he didn’t remember her at all. She told him she couldn’t be his mother anymore. No child forgets that,” Sean bitterly added then took another bite of his cone. “Patrick knows he has me, always, and he’s a good boy.”

  “Patrick’s got you and your mother.” She gulped.

  “She loves being a grandmother, though she still complains that she only has boys in the house and no women to watch romance movies with except the librarian.”

  “Sherry?” Gigi asked surprised. “Why, she’s closer to our age than your mother’s.”

  Sean shook his head. “I think my mother wants to set me up.”

 
Gigi sucked in her breath then blew it out slowly.

  Sean dropped his head to his side. “Thankfully Sherry doesn’t seem to understand my mother’s intentions.”

  “Ahh.” Gigi clenched then unclenched her hand behind her back. You have no right to be jealous, Gigi. “I owe you a thank you.”

  Wrinkling her forehead wrinkled, she asked, “What?”

  “A few months ago you found my boy.” Sean ran a hand through his hair. “Patrick ran away. And I never said thank you for finding him.”

  “I was happy to help.”

  “Patrick hoped he’d bring his mother back,” Sean said. “My ex told my son, her son, how he made her unhappy. Patrick’s never gotten over that. Her hurting him is something I don’t know how to fix.”

  Gigi covered her mouth with her hand and her eyes watered. She gulped and her heart ached for the boy. “And teaching your boy right and wrong is all up to you now.”

  “True,” Sean added with a sharp tongue, though he patted her knee. “Jennifer can never hurt her again.”

  “So tell me about your cancer,” she said, bringing up the subject she’d been long avoiding.

  “I’m well. My blood work showed I’m in remission for a full year since last Thanksgiving. I have my appointment in March to check again, but the worst time was when I had the treatments and Jennifer kept riding the fence on leaving me. When she left, life became calmer.”

  “So you were able to heal in peace.” She glanced at the students, saw they were occupied with each other, and rubbed his shoulder.

  “Yes.” He finished the last bit of his ice cream.

  She cleaned up her cup and found a trashcan.

  As the cars arrived, Sean motioned for everyone to pile into the vehicles. She called out, “Boys in the small one and girls in the big one.”

  She stepped forward to go with the girls and stared at Sean for a moment. In her life, he’d been the only man she ever counted on.

  After the last girl’s head disappeared into the vehicle, Gigi scooted in. Erica, on the seat next to her asked, “Why is Mr. Collins buying us clothes, Ms. Dumont? To impress you?”

  “He wants to win the competition,” Gigi assured her. “It’s not about me.”

  “Yes, it is.” Erica smiled. “You should go out with him. He likes you. You like him. We all agree.”

  “True,” Kendra added in her opinionated tone. “Ms. Dumont, he’s perfect for you, and he’s hot, for an old guy. Makes me think of James Bond, only without the intense fight scenes.”

  “We’re here to win the competition in three days, not to date.”

  “We can do both. Boys are cute and fun to talk about. If you want to attract Mr. Collins, though, you ought to consider buying more pinkish shades of makeup. You’re light-toned, and the neutrals aren’t good for you. We’ll pick out a new outfit for you and a push-up bra. Men like those.”

  “And don’t worry about Friday. We’re going to win,” Kendra added fiercely.

  Before Gigi could respond, the town car stopped in front of the department store. The girls’ mouths dropped in unison as they stared at the fashionably dressed mannequins in the window fronts.

  As they exited the car, Erica came up next to Gigi. “Wow. Do they allow American teenagers in?”

  Gigi took the girl’s hand and squeezed. “Of course.”

  The girls were spread out throughout the store when the boys’ town car arrived. Gigi took charge and pointed Erica to a sales clerk, then waited near the entrance in the jewelry section, where she observed Sean’s every gesture with the boys on what to look at and what articles to buy. Then he spoke to a salesclerk who joined him.

  The boys followed the clerk, and Sean’s eyes found hers. She smiled. He gave her the once-over and came toward her. Her face heated. She intended to place her hand on her hip to scold him, but she couldn’t. So she laughed. Holding a straight face had taken too much effort.

  Sean took her hand in his. “Can I buy you anything?”

  “I appreciate the offer, but no.”

  He stepped closer, and she opened her mouth to protest, thinking he intended to kiss her but then he motioned for the salesclerk. “There is a hundred euro tip in it for you if you can talk Ms. Dumont here into buying anything.”

  Her mouth dropped. “That’s not fair.”

  “Then you’ll be the one depriving the girl of a tip. I have an errand to run.” He handed Gigi his credit card and instructed her to buy the outfits for the students. “Be back as soon as I can.”

  He rushed off and she stared at his broad shoulders until she lost sight of him. Where the hell did he go?

  Chapter 16

  The town car doors opened and Sean breathed easier as the students grabbed their bags and entered his hotel like they were home. Gigi’s car came to a stop as he shepherded his half of the crew up to their rooms.

  Gigi’s voice echoed in the halls as she called out, “You have five minutes to meet me upstairs to practice.”

  Sean let out his breath then raced to his room to ensure the place had no trace of Gigi anywhere. They hadn’t gotten far in their make-out session but you never knew. With his heart racing, he threw open the door.

  And heard his brother’s laugh. Sean turned around and saw Daniel sitting in the living room reading. Daniel put his tablet to the side. “Who’s the woman you had in here?”

  “How do you know there was a woman?” Sean hoped his face hadn’t turned red.

  Daniel pointed to the nightstand and the pink bra.

  Sean covered his face, then ran his hands down his side.

  “So, bro, do you have another life you’re hiding, and if so, we’ll all accept you.”

  “Shut up.” Sean shook his head. “Gigi surprised me.”

  “Things have progressed, I see.” Daniel stood up and went toward the nightstand, then he raised his eyebrows. “Gigi Dumont? Again?”

  “This isn’t what you think. We’re on a school function.” How had he forgotten how he’d taken her bra off and thrown it?

  “Gigi left you and broke your heart.”

  “I was young and stupid.”

  Daniel warned. “She hurt you once, bad.”

  “Tell me about it. And it was my fault anyhow. A few months before everything fell apart, I ripped the stupid condom in a rush. I was stupid.”

  Daniel shrugged. “And she could have told you her situation.”

  “I was there, remember?”

  Daniel poked him. “So you want her back?”

  Sean ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I can forgive and forget what she did.”

  “No one said forget.” Daniel answered. “But I think she was hurt, too. That girl practically lived at our house and never went home. I can’t see her leaving like she did without being hurt.”

  Sean shook his head. “Doctor Daniel Collins. We’re not all fixable.”

  Daniel shrugged. “Maybe I’m wrong, bro. I don’t know. But I thought we agreed last month, you were going to date ten to twelve new women this year without getting serious.”

  “Neither of us are Gerard or Liam, Daniel.” Sean sat down on the bed. “Thing is, what keeps bugging me is that Gigi’s not Jennifer either.”

  "How? But Gigi left you.”

  “Jennifer was far worse. Gigi disappeared.”

  Sean body stayed straight as his brother asked, “Why?”

  Sean sighed. Time to tell the truth. “Gigi was sixteen, about to turn seventeen when everything fell apart. Her life, my life, our life together ended.” He blew out a breath, surprised how much it hurt after all these year. “While we were usually careful, she got pregnant. Her mother found out and forced her to have an abortion. She told me a week after her seventeenth birthday. At first I was furious but over the years, I’ve come to realize that we were both to blame for being young and stupid.” Sean raked a hand through his hair. “But I’m having trouble forgiving her for leaving me.”

  “You need to talk t
o Gigi. This couldn’t have been easy on her.”

  “I agree. You’ll never mention it to her.”

  “No worries. How about we go out and take your mind of everything?”

  In the hallway, Daniel admitted, “I was jealous of you and Gigi growing up. I was the oldest and you got the girl.”

  Sean nodded. “I thought Gigi and I would get married, have a family together.” It’s not too late. He shoved the thought aside and said,